Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1972 Jul 1;136(1):68–80. doi: 10.1084/jem.136.1.68

COMPLEMENT-DEPENDENT PLATELET INJURY BY STAPHYLOCOCCAL PROTEIN A

Jacek Hawiger 1, Samuel R Marney Jr 1, Daniel G Colley 1, Roger M Des Prez 1
PMCID: PMC2139193  PMID: 4624450

Abstract

A new example of complement-mediated platelet injury has been described. Staphylococcal protein A (SPA) causes rabbit platelet injury as manifested by release of platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT). This reaction is complement-dependent and occurs over a very small range of SPA concentration, larger amounts being inhibitory. Complement fixation by SPA demonstrates the same narrow SPA concentration requirement whereas precipitation of IgG by SPA is roughly proportional to SPA concentration over a wide concentration range. The reaction can be separated into a sensitization step which requires SPA and plasma but not complement, and a release step which does require complement. Complement-mediated platelet damage induced by SPA is a new biologic property of this common component of the cell wall of pathogenic staphylococci which may contribute to the development of inflammatory and thromboembolic reactions complicating intravascular staphylococcal infection.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (666.8 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ardlie N. G., Packham M. A., Mustard J. F. Adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation in suspensions of washed rabbit platelets. Br J Haematol. 1970 Jul;19(1):7–17. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1970.tb01596.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BERNHEIMER A. W., SCHWARTZ L. L. EFFECT OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL AND OTHER BACTERIAL TOXINS ON PLATELETS IN VITRO. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1965 Jan;89:209–223. doi: 10.1002/path.1700890121. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DAVIS B. J. DISC ELECTROPHORESIS. II. METHOD AND APPLICATION TO HUMAN SERUM PROTEINS. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1964 Dec 28;121:404–427. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1964.tb14213.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DES PREZ R. M., HOROWITZ H. I., HOOK E. W. Effects of bacterial endotoxin on rabbit platelets. I. Platelet aggregation and release of platelet factors in vitro. J Exp Med. 1961 Dec 1;114:857–874. doi: 10.1084/jem.114.6.857. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Forsgren A. Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. 8. Production of protein A by bacterial and L-forms of S. aureus. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1969;75(3):481–490. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Forsgren A., Sjöquist J. "Protein A" from S. aureus. I. Pseudo-immune reaction with human gamma-globulin. J Immunol. 1966 Dec;97(6):822–827. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Forsgren A., Sjöquist J. "Protein A" from Staphylococcus aureus. 3. Reaction with rabbit gamma-globulin. J Immunol. 1967 Jul;99(1):19–24. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GOCKE D. J., OSLER A. G. IN VITRO DAMAGE OF RABBIT PLATELETS BY AN UNRELATED ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY REACTION. I. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REACTION. J Immunol. 1965 Feb;94:236–246. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gustafson G. T., Sjöquist J., Stålenheim G. "Protein A" from Staphylococcus aureus. II. Arthus-like reaction produced in rabbits by interaction of protein A and human gamma-globulin. J Immunol. 1967 Jun;98(6):1178–1181. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HOROWITZ H. I., DES PREZ R. M., HOOK E. W. Effects of bacterial endotoxin on rabbit platelets. II. Enhancement of platelet factor 3 activity in vitro and in vivo. J Exp Med. 1962 Nov 1;116:619–633. doi: 10.1084/jem.116.5.619. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. HUMPHREY J. H., JAQUES R. The release of histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) from platelets by antigen-antibody reactions (in vitro). J Physiol. 1955 Apr 28;128(1):9–27. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1955.sp005289. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Harvey R. L., Kronvall G., Troup G. M., Anderson R. E., Williams R. C., Jr Chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes by protein A of the staphylococcus. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1970 Nov;135(2):453–456. doi: 10.3181/00379727-135-35073. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Henson P. M., Cochrane C. G. Immunological induction of increased vascular permeability. II. Two mechanisms of histamine release from rabbit platelets involving complement. J Exp Med. 1969 Jan 1;129(1):167–184. doi: 10.1084/jem.129.1.167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kronvall G., Gewurz H. Activation and inhibition of IgG mediated complement fixation by staphylococcal protein A. Clin Exp Immunol. 1970 Aug;7(2):211–220. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mancini G., Carbonara A. O., Heremans J. F. Immunochemical quantitation of antigens by single radial immunodiffusion. Immunochemistry. 1965 Sep;2(3):235–254. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(65)90004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Martin R. R., Crowder J. G., White A. Human reactions to staphylococcal antigens. A possible role of leukocyte lysosomal enzymes. J Immunol. 1967 Aug;99(2):269–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nelson R. A., Jr A new concept of immunosuppression in hypersensitivity reactions and in transplantation immunity. Surv Ophthalmol. 1966 Aug;11(4):498–505. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Poljak R. J., Dintzis H. M., Goldstein D. J. Crystallographic study of rabbit Fc. I. A comparison of crystals from different allotypes. J Mol Biol. 1967 Mar 14;24(2):351–352. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(67)90343-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. REISSIG J. L., STORMINGER J. L., LELOIR L. F. A modified colorimetric method for the estimation of N-acetylamino sugars. J Biol Chem. 1955 Dec;217(2):959–966. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. STETSON C. A., Jr Similarities in the mechanisms determining the Arthus and Shwartzman phenomena. J Exp Med. 1951 Oct;94(4):347–358. doi: 10.1084/jem.94.4.347. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sjöquist J., Stålenheim G. Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. IX. Complement-fixing activity of protein A-IgG complexes. J Immunol. 1969 Sep;103(3):467–473. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Spielvogel A. R. An ultrastructural study of the mechanisms of platelet-endotoxin interaction. J Exp Med. 1967 Aug 1;126(2):235–250. doi: 10.1084/jem.126.2.235. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. YACHNIN S., RUTHENBERG J. M. THE INITIATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF HUMAN RED CELL LYSIS BY ACTIVATORS OF THE FIRST COMPONENT OF COMPLEMENT AND BY FIRST COMPONENT ESTERASE; STUDIES USING NORMAL RED CELLS AND RED CELLS FROM PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMAL NOCTURNAL HEMOGLOBINURIA. J Clin Invest. 1965 Apr;44:518–534. doi: 10.1172/JCI105165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Zimmerman T. S., Müller-Eberhard H. J. Blood coagulation initiation by a complement-mediated pathway. J Exp Med. 1971 Dec 1;134(6):1601–1607. doi: 10.1084/jem.134.6.1601. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES